A VERY RARE LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER MARK AND PERIOD OF LONGQING

of circular form, robustly potted, the domed cover with a slightly raised central panel and encircled by raised bands at the rims on both box and cover, all supported on a wide, slightly tapered foot, brightly painted overall in two tones of cobalt blue, the cover with a barbed medallion enclosing two confronting five-clawed dragons among lingzhi scrolls, one ascending the other descending, both with raised snouts and open jaws, their scaly bodies writhing amidst dense foliage, all within a double-line border, the sides decorated with eight barbed panels, four around the box and four around the cover, each enclosing a five-clawed dragon animated in a different stride among foliate lingzhi, divided by detached sprays of fungus supporting one of the 'Eight Treasures' (Babao), with the wish-granting pearl (baozhu), a coin (qian), the coral (shanhu), and a lozenge (fangsheng) on the cover, and an ingot (ding), a ruyi head, a rhinoceros horn (xijiao), and stylised chime (qing) on the box, the raised rim borders filled with swirling clouds between double lines repeated on the foot, the interior and the base left white, the thick footring and the inner rims left unglazed and fired brick red, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double circles

Collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo.

In Pursuit of the Dragon – Traditions and Transitions in Ming Ceramics, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1988, cat. no. 60.

Idemitsu Bijutsukan zōhin zuroku. Chūgoku tōji/Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, col. pl. 712.

The box is overall in good condition. There is a 4.5 cm flake inside the box rim, another 1 cm. chip and some fritting to the raised ridge on the interior of the box. There is a small original firing crack with associated crackles in the glaze in one area around the edge of the box. There is a faint 7.5 cm, hairline crack across the foot ring. There are some expected small imperfections, light scratches on the surface, minor shrinkage in the glaze or pin-prick air bubbles on the interior of the box and of the cover.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Porcelain pieces made at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the brief six-year reign of the Longqing Emperor (r. 1567-72) and bearing his reign mark are extremely rare.  Apart from the short reign period, imperial records mention severe flooding in the area around the imperial kiln site in Jingdezhen in the late 1560s and early 70s, causing great devastation and disruption to porcelain manufacture at the time.  In fact, the whole reign period was devastated by natural disasters, extensive fires, earthquakes and floodings. Hence, Longqing mark and period wares are of historical importance and as Jessica Harrison-Hall notes in Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, p. 268, ‘Items with Longqing reign marks are particularly valuable for dating as the reign period was so short. Few ceramics were produced compared to the years sandwiching it.’

Stylistically, Longqing wares are closely related to Jiajing and early Wanli pieces, with the deep blue glaze particularly attractive. Boxes, such as the present example, were made in different shapes, from compressed circular form to square, lobed, rectangular and ingot forms. They are highly esteemed not only for their rarity, but also for their skilful potting and for their glaze.  

Only one other similar box and cover appears to be recorded, from the collections of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Clark, Mr. K.R. Malcolm and Eskenazi, London, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26th April 1999, lot 549, and again, 7th July 2003, lot 645. The decoration of two sinuous five-clawed dragons amongst scrolling lingzhi may be seen on the cover of a square box, bearing a Longqing reign mark and of the period, formerly in the Franks collection and now in the British Museum, London, illustrated ibid., pl. 10:5, where on p. 271 it is suggested that the piece contained seals.

For examples of Longqing blue and white boxes decorated with the dragon motif, see a silver ingot-shaped piece, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Blue and White Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Book VI, Hong Kong, 1963, pl. 2; a double-lozenge form box included in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part I, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 42; a seven-lobed box, formerly in the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains, Section 3, London, 1976, p. 45, pl. A656, where it is mentioned that the piece is of unusually fine quality with the calligraphy of the mark exceptionally good. It is further noted, ibid., p. 45, that a companion piece may be found in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  A further Longqing dragon box of circular shape, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is included in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The complete works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 12 (part 2), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 178, together with a ‘dragon and phoenix’ box, pl. 180, from the court collection. Compare also a box finely painted with two five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl, from the Toguri collection, sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 20; and a square box with its pierced cover decorated with dragons, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th April 1997, lot 679.

The dragon motif seen on Longqing wares continued to be used in the Wanli period; for example, see a Wanli mark and period box sold in our London rooms, 14th July 1981, lot 81; and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th May 2009, lot 1865.